Summary

For three days the eighty Jews of Sighet are forced to stand up in insufferable, cramped quarters. They have scarce amounts of water and food, and they struggle to find space to sit or rest. At a stop at Kaschau, they realize the train has entered Czechoslovakia. Germans officers seize the convoy, demanding the deportees turn over all valuables or be shot. The Germans also threaten to slaughter the entire trainload if anyone attempts to escape. Nobody is able to rest, due largely to the hysterical screams of Madame Schächter, who is possessed by terrifying visions of flames. The others tie her in restraints, force a gag into her mouth, and beat her to control the frenzy, a frenzy which would prove to be prophetic.

When they finally arrive at Auschwitz, Poland, the captives are deceived, told that families will stay together. They are led...